On 7 August 1915, in an ill-fated attempt to break the stalemate at Gallipoli, hundreds of Australian light horsemen repeatedly charged the massed rifles and machine-guns of the Turkish soldiers.The charge at The Nek has been immortalised in art, literature and film and has come to epitomise both the futility and courage of the Gallipoli campaign. In this classic book, Peter Burness provides the best account ever published of the formation and training of the Light Horse regiments (including profiles of the officers involved), the battle itself and a careful consideration of how the suicidal charges were allowed to continue when any hope of success was lost. For this new edition, the author has updated the text to include new information that has come to light since the book was first published in 1996, and he has also provided new maps and photographs.

In 1914 there were only two machine guns supporting a British infantry battalion of 800 men, and in the light of the effectiveness of German and French machine guns the Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915. This remarkable book, compiled and edited by C E Crutchley, is a collection of the personal accounts of officers and men who served in the front lines with their machine guns in one of the most ghastly wars, spread over three continents. The strength of the book lies in the fact that these are the actual words of the soldiers themselves, complete with characteristic modes of expression and oddities of emphasis and spelling. All theatres of war are covered from the defence of the Suez Canal, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia in the east to France and Flanders, the German offensive of March 1918 and the final act on the Western Front that brought the war to an end. SELLING POINTS: * A harrowing story of the types of combat used in World War I * Pulls together the experiences of different people who served, helping yo to understand what these men went through 8 pages of b/w plates

Paperback reprint of a classic military history of Australia's part in WWI, first published in 1946. The author was an official war correspondent with the Australian Imperial Force and edited the 12-volume official history of Australia's fighting services. This book is a condensation of that official history, and describes major campaigns and strategies, as well as giving a brief political, social and industrial background. Includes maps and an index.

In 1914 there were only two machine guns supporting a British infantry battalion of 800 men, and in the light of the effectiveness of German and French machine guns the Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915. This remarkable book, compiled and edited by C E Crutchley, is a collection of the personal accounts of officers and men who served in the front lines with their machine guns in one of the most ghastly wars, spread over three continents. The strength of the book lies in the fact that these are the actual words of the soldiers themselves, complete with characteristic modes of expression and oddities of emphasis and spelling. All theatres of war are covered from the defence of the Suez Canal, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia in the east to France and Flanders, the German offensive of March 1918 and the final act on the Western Front that brought the war to an end. October 2006 is the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Machine Gun Corps.

This book is a very important text for any student of the development of the machine gun, and contains details of the history of this weapon from its inception to the mid-ppoint of the First World War. The evolution of the machine gun is detailed, followed by examples of the use of the wepon in war, and particularly in the Russo-Japanese War. Tactics are examined in detail, both from the historical point of view and tactics of the First World War, an important part of the book. Training is covered, particularly from the British Army side, and the relevant chapter has much of great value in it. Perhaps the most important part of the book however is the examination of the machine guns of the armies then at war. There is in addition a complete chapter on machine guns in the German Army, which is of specific importance to any study of the tactics on the western front. The book is illustrated with a series of good photographs and a number of line drawings of both early and current machine guns, and there is also a large scale drawing of the Vickers gun.

The machine gun is a uniquely American invention that revolutionized the way in which war was waged. This first look in more than 30 years at its social and historical impact also profiles the inventors responsible for the creation of the weapon. Martin's Press.